Father Founder’s Selected Thoughts on the Religious Life
We invite you to read some of the most beautiful texts of the Holy Founder of the Marian Order on the grace of a religious vocation. They can also inspire many ambitious young men today who want, like St. Father Stanislaw imitate Christ, the poor, chaste and fully obedient to the Will of God the Father.
Who is the One who created you? He is God, the most absolute being, without any beginning or source, the most perfect Goodness and Wisdom, infinite Love and Omnipotence.
The One Who Is created you, and you yourself were created, one who had not existed before. You should know that you were created out of nothing, formed out of worthless
matter, but due to the wisdom of the Divine Artist, you were made so beautiful, that your appearance surpasses all of creation, except for those in Heaven.
Consider also, what soul have you received? One formed in His image and likeness. He endowed you with reason, to comprehend that God is your Creator. He gave you a heart to love. He gave free will to your soul to make you prove that you are free and not under any domination. You can strive for what you want and choose what you want, and love and follow what you have chosen. And finally, added to this Divine image, God gave memory to contemplate His blessings bestowed upon you. Remember that He is your Creator while you used to be dust and in the future, dust you shall be again. He announced this to the first Parent saying: “For you are dust and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19).
(Inspectio Cordis)
God’s goodness and wisdom, despite countless obstacles, begins and carries out whatever it wants, even though the means, by human standards, are thoroughly inadequate, since there is nothing that is impossible to the Almighty. This appeared clearly in me, the most wretched, the most disdain-worth sinner, the most shabby and inadequate tool [used by God] to set up the most miserable and littlest Congregation of the Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. I was full of: an improper spirit, no grace, little prudence, all too meager, good for dreams, rather than such a great effort. Yet, God alone, God (to whom belong eternal and everlasting glory and thanks) who, once He impelled me to do this task in His providence, that is with love, mercy, wisdom, and wonder, He has performed it Himself, and continues to do so for ever and ever.
(Fundatio Domus Recollectionis)
Assuming that your Order is that gate of Christ, contemplate that salvation is reserved for those who come in, but also for those who go out. That is, not only do those religious approach eternal life who, once accepted within the walls of the convent, never appear in public or set a foot outside, and continually devote themselves to solitude, prayer, penance and practicing other virtues; but eternal life was also promised to those who go to the world, compelled either by obedience, or love, to bring help to the Congregation, or their brothers, although due to this, they are not able to properly fulfill the common duties of the Congregation.
Staying among the lay people, they do not have such facilities for prayer, contemplation, spiritual readings, spiritual conversations and other similar exercises as those who remain in the convent. Yet, since they left through the gate of love or obedience, they will not be deprived of their merits, and will not suffer any harm in their salvation.
(Inspectio Cordis)
